Hamilton College Historian Available to Provide Historical Context for Kennedy, Churchill and Johnson Quotes Used in Iraq Discussion

10/11/2002

From: Sharon Rippey of Hamilton College, 315-859-4691

CLINTON, N.Y., Oct. 11 -- The rhetoric employed in the Congressional debate over the Iraq resolution has been long on historical precedent, and short on historical context.

Maurice Isserman, William R. Kenan Professor of History at Hamilton College, says,"To justify the unprecedented policy of preemptive attack, supporters of the Bush administration's resolution have frequently cited the examples of Winston Churchill in the 1930s, and John F. Kennedy in the 1960s. These are, at best, misleading historical analogies. Winston Churchill never argued for a pre-emptive strike against Nazi Germany; had he done so, the moral onus for launching the most destructive war in human history would have shifted from Germany to Britain. Given the strength of isolationist sentiment in the United States, the likely result would have been American neutrality -- and a Nazi victory. John F. Kennedy considered launching a pre-emptive strike against Castro's Cuba in 1962; and then categorically rejected the idea, unwilling (as his brother Bobby explained) to take on the role of 'Tojo' in launching a new 'Pearl Harbor.'"

Isserman argues that the closer historical precedent for the Iraq resolution is the Gulf of Tonkin resolution that Lyndon Johnson secured from the Congress in 1964. "Johnson used the power and prestige of the President as commander-in-chief to mislead the Congress about the dangers posed by North Vietnam to American interests and military personnel in Southeast Asia, and secured an open-ended authorization for a much wider war and longer conflict than anyone in Congress who voted for it could have imagined at the time."

Isserman received his Ph.D. from the University of Rochester, and is an expert on 20th-century U.S. history, particularly the 1960s. An expert on reform and radical movements Isserman is widely acknowledged to be the preeminent historian of the American left. A former Fulbright grant-winner, he is co-author of America Divided: The Civil War of the 1960s. His most recent book, The Other American: The Life of Michael Harrington, has been named to countless non-fiction "must-read" lists. His current research is on the history of mountaineering. Isserman has recently returned from England, where he was on academic exchange with Pembroke College and Oxford University.

Note to media: Isserman is available to provide context for historical quotes. He can also discuss the anti-war movements of the 1960s and draw comparisons with U.S. sentiment on the prospect of war with Iraq. He may be reached via e-mail at misserma@hamilton.eduor by calling 315-859-4414. Media

Contact: Sharon Rippey, srippey@hamilton.edu, 315-859-4691 or 866-729-0313.